Description
This warming and protein-packed Mediterranean chickpea soup comes together in under 30 minutes using pantry staples and frozen spinach. It’s a healthy, hearty, and budget-friendly vegan dinner for any night of the week.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 2 cans (14oz / 400g each) chickpeas, drained
- 1 can (14oz / 400g) whole or diced tomatoes
- 2 ½ cups (600 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves (optional)
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 6 oz (170 grams) fresh spinach or 3 oz frozen spinach
- 1 to 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, paprika, oregano, and thyme. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
3. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
4. In a small jar, combine the flour with ¼ cup cold water. Shake until emulsified, then stir into the soup.
5. Add the spinach, a handful at a time, stirring until wilted. If using frozen spinach, cook a few minutes longer.
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and lemon juice to balance the flavors.
7. Divide into bowls and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Add red pepper flakes or grated parmesan if desired.
8. Serve hot with crusty bread and enjoy.
Notes
If using a salty broth, start with only ½ teaspoon of added salt and adjust at the end.
Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 3–4 days and are freezable for up to 2 months. Leave 1-inch headspace in containers before freezing.
For a non-vegan version, this soup is also delicious topped with grated parmesan cheese.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course, Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 314
- Sugar: 11g
- Sodium: 512mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 13g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 0mg